Building a stick frame house in the woods in 90 days

[FairfaxStu]

Peter:

The outside is coming along quite well and your work is perfect as always. The steps look very nice so far, kudos to them on that. As far as hardwood in your mom's bedroom, I still don't understand how or why they would have missed that. If I were you, and obviously I am not, I would really be attentive at this point on the kitchen cabinet install. When they did my kitchen they used a laser level and various pencil "tick marks" all around. Turns out there was only about 3/8" of difference all around but as a cabinet installer, you need to be aware of this.
-Stu

 

[srs]

Peter, regarding the exterior outlets, the oversized plastic covers might be code in your area. I had to get them on my house here in Maryland when I built approximately 8 years ago. Stanley

 

[Tororider]

Everything is coming along. They framed out the outside step nicely. I do t know about the pea gravel though. To me it is a safety hazard, as it moves while walking on it. It is also a mess and will end up outside the steps. Around here we would use something like slag sand or crushed concrete, something that would set up a little harder. Just my two cents. Looking good.

 

[dstig1]

Thanks Jay! Yes, I think we are getting caught up in the details a little too much, the issues will be be addressed before "closing".

mjncad, yes, there will be area rugs in a lot of areas over the tile. Mom got some really nice ones!

Day 115


Breaker panel is just about done. They ran out of 20A breakers (in the open space in the middle), and 15A breakers (at the very bottom)

I've been surprised before at what passes, but I would be surprised if this passes inspection, if the inspector actually looks at it. Bundling wires tight like that is bad as it restricts cooling and can lead to heat build up and fires. It sure looks neat, but isn't wise to do. I'd clip those zip ties and spread the wires out a bit myself.

Nice technique on getting the generator in place. Where did you get it from? Online or locally?

And the exterior outlet covers are code and have been for several years now, so you are stuck with them. They are required to be weathertight when "in use" (something plugged in) so they are all giant bubbles now. Arlington products has some nice boxes they call "In box" that recesses into the wall for a cleaner look, but you are way too late for that kind of work here. Weatherproof Products | Low Profile InBox™ for New Vinyl Siding Construction

 

[aczlan]

I agree that the line-set to the coil does not look very good. It has not been charged yet, but I don't the line-set is long enough, which is probably why they did what they did. I'll take a closer look tomorrow to see if there are any other options short of replacing the whole thing. I don't know that it would be a good idea to sweat an extension onto it.

Shouldn't be any problem extending it a couple of feet to allow it to be routed properly (based on my experience working for a HVAC contractor)

Peter, regarding the exterior outlets, the oversized plastic covers might be code in your area. I had to get them on my house here in Maryland when I built approximately 8 years ago. Stanley

I agree. Code now requires "in use" covers (like those ones) in many places.

Aaron Z

 

[pacerron]

Peter said: "I agree that the line-set to the coil does not look very good. It has not been charged yet, but I don't the line-set is long enough, which is probably why they did what they did. I'll take a closer look tomorrow to see if there are any other options short of replacing the whole thing. I don't know that it would be a good idea to sweat an extension onto it."
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The refer guys or their supervisor should be consulted. In commercial applications and home applications, silver solder, is used to sweat joints. Most refer guys with a little experience have no problem making neat, leak free joints with it.
The reasons I asked if the unit was sized to handle the basement are twofold.
1. Cold floors upstairs with no heat in the basement during winter.
2. Mold in the basement in the spring and summer.
Ron

 

[mjncad]

Doesn't Virginia require hard wired smoke detectors in new construction?

The interconnection, so that if one goes off they all go off is a great improvement over the old single area type.

Ron

I think interconnected smoke detectors are required by national code now. I know they were interconnected in my previous house that was built in 1993.

In Colorado, at least one carbon monoxide detector is required for each level of a residence. If I were Pete I'd put in dual duty smoke and CO detectors.

Landing at the top of the stairs is completed except for one piece of 2x6. Each step is 18" deep. They will dig out the dirt to 2" down, then lay down black plastic and cover with pea gravel.

As much as I like pea gravel, I would not use it for a walking surface as it will be like walking on ball bearings if it's a thin layer, if a thick layer one tends to sink into it, and in both cases the gravel finds its way into shoes. Around here, walkways of this type are constructed with Gray Breeze or Red Breeze, which is crusher run. The color of which is determined by the type of rock. This stuff locks together and packs tight and is easy to walk on.

I hate the exterior outlets. I'm going to have them redo them.

They should be recessed (and be metal), like the ones I have on my house. Here's a shot of one of them

My biggest gripe with the outdoor outlets on his Mom's house are the trim rings. They are just slapped on and very much look like it. There are plenty of places for water, bugs, and dirt to collect in the gaps. If you don't like the plastic bubble boxes, Red-Dot (Hubbell I think) makes die-cast aluminum boxes, and I have a few around my place; but I found out the wasps like them for protected nesting areas too.

I agree that the line-set to the coil does not look very good. It has not been charged yet, but I don't the line-set is long enough, which is probably why they did what they did. I'll take a closer look tomorrow to see if there are any other options short of replacing the whole thing. I don't know that it would be a good idea to sweat an extension onto it.

As expensive as copper is, HVAC guys tend to route that stuff with the shortest, not necessarily the best route in mind. Also the stuff has to be repairable since it's too expensive (parts and labor) to replace a whole line-set for a leak. A buddy of mine hit his line-set with his framing nail gun while finishing the basement. The HVAC guys cut out the damaged section and spliced it back together.

I've been surprised before at what passes, but I would be surprised if this passes inspection, if the inspector actually looks at it. Bundling wires tight like that is bad as it restricts cooling and can lead to heat build up and fires. It sure looks neat, but isn't wise to do. I'd clip those zip ties and spread the wires out a bit myself.

Whether the cable-ties are good or bad regarding heat dissipation is a good question; but I'm complimenting the electrician for taking the time to plan the wire routing in the panel, and not just route it haphazardly. By the now the wires have been "trained" into their current shape and removing the cable-ties won't cause the wires to spring open like a can of worms. So if heat dissipation becomes an issue, clip the ties, put a little bit of space between the cables and it should be good to go.

 

[Willl]

Map out those breakers now so you can do something like this later.

 

[pclausen]

The reasons I asked if the unit was sized to handle the basement are twofold.
1. Cold floors upstairs with no heat in the basement during winter.
2. Mold in the basement in the spring and summer.
Ron

Ron, I missed that question before. There are 2 vents in the basement, one above each of the 2 large windows flanking the walk out basement doors. If/when some/all of the basement is finished, there will of course be vents in each finished room. So I would say the unit is sized appropriately to be able to handle the basement. It's a 3 ton outdoor unit and a 30,000 BTU indoor unit. Dual stage heat pump and 10kw backup heat.

Also keep in mind that the water heater is a heat pump as well. So during the summer, it will cool the basement and extract moisture from it.

 

[pclausen]

Peter, regarding the exterior outlets, the oversized plastic covers might be code in your area. I had to get them on my house here in Maryland when I built approximately 8 years ago. Stanley

I was afraid of that. At least they should be able to recces the receptacles further into the wall I would think. They have removed all the other outside receptacles right now, so maybe they are already planning on doing that.